Nakheel's flagship properties are the three man-made palm tree shaped islands on the coast of Dubai. Nakheel operates under the umbrella of Dubai World, which manages various businesses on behalf of the Dubai government. The executive chairman of Al Nakheel is Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

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The company owned the retired ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, which it acquired for $100 million and planned to convert into a luxury hotel, that was to have been moored at the Palm Jumeirah.[1] However in January 2013 it was announced a consortium known as QE2 Shipping had been formed to own and operate the ship as a five star 400-room hotel at an unknown location in Asia.[2]

The company reported a profit for 2012 of 2.02 billion dirhams (USD 550 million) in line with a significant improvement in the Dubai property market. The profit result was a 57% improvement on the previous year. In 2013, Nakheel says it will complete 3,000 residential and retail units.[4]

In January 2014, Nakheel announced that it would repay more than half of its bank debt in 2014. The Financial Times reported Chairman Ali Rashid Lootah as saying that early repayment of Dh4bn (US$1.1bn) had been made possible by "reducing claims from contractors and customers and rebounding cash collection, which has tripled over the past three years to Dh7.1bn." [5]

In February 2013 it was announced Nakheel would build two new projects on Palm Jumeirah at a combined cost of 3.3 billion dirhams ($902 million). The Pointe, a retail, and dining complex will be built in a bay opposite Atlantis, The Palm on the waterfront and adjacent to a new marina. Nakheel Mall will be constructed on the beach at the trunk of Palm Jumeirah.[6] One Of Nakheel's new retail, dining and entertainment projects, The Golden Mile is said to open in April 2015, according to a statement issued by Nakheel. It will have around 70 outlets, including department stores, restaurants, cafes, medical centers and a supermarket.[7]

In April 2013 it was disclosed Nakheel was building what it calls the Discovery Gardens Community Centre, which at that time was 35% completed. Expected to open in early 2014, the centre is effectively a shopping mall which will house 20 retail shops and 11 dining outlets. A Geant hypermarket operated by Géant Casino will occupy 40% of the centre which will service Nakheel’s Al Furjan, Discovery Gardens and The Gardens communities' 24,000 homes.[8]

The Kleindienst group, the developers behind The Heart of Europe, a cluster of 6 islands which is a part of Nakheel's The World Islands project, revealed that they would be able to make it rain and snow using special snow machines in select streets and plazas in The Heart of Europe. This technology comes from the Frauhofer Institute in Germany, where the scientists claim it is possible to control the air outside so that it sits at 'ideal' outdoor temperature of 27 degrees.[9]

On June 2, 2013 the company sold 350 villas in its proposed 350-hectare Jumeirah Park master community for 1.4 billion dirhams (USD 385 million) in five hours. Demand was so unprecedented, Nakheel increased the number of villas it planned to sell on the day from 226 to 350. The company announced construction tenders were yet to be finalized. The 350 villas will be completed in 2015. The Jumeirah Park master community, says the company, will eventually house 2,000 homes.[10]